81% connected to at least secondary wastewater treatment

In 2023, 80.7% of the EU population was connected to wastewater treatment systems with at least secondary treatment. This was an increase of 3.4 percentage points when compared with 2013 (77.3%) and shows stability compared with 2022 (80.8%). The data are based on 17 countries and come from the water statistics of the European Statistical System (ESS). Source dataset: sdg_06_20 The population connected to at least secondary wastewater treatment is one of the indicators to monitor progress of the EU towards the Sustainable Development Goal ‘Clean water and sanitation’ (SDG 6). SDG 6 calls for ensuring universal access to safe and affordable drinking water, sanitation and hygiene. It also aims to improve water quality and water-use efficiency. The level of nitrate (NO3) in groundwater is an indicator for water quality. In 2023, the EU reported 18.14 mg NO3 per litre, a slight improvement compared to 2013 when it stood at 18.80 mg per litre. The Nitrate directive has set a 50 mg NO3/L concentration as the threshold to consider groundwater unfit for drinking. This news article marks World Water Day, celebrated on 22 March.